Feedback & Reports

The parking and access to this beat is easy going with just a short walk down through the woods.
Starting at the top of the beat there is deeper (3-4ft) even flowing water that’s ideal for spinning but not so easy with a 14ft double handed fly rod. You can get down the bank, but with coloured water I wasn‘t going to risk it, and getting up again may prove difficult. Here the Chub are a complete pain as they will savage anything, 3 inch tube flies included, (and I never thought I’d consider 2-4lb Chub “nuisance fish”), but the WBT sport would be terrific on lighter dry fly gear.. The islands, about half way, are a very attractive proposition, easy access for wading and again packed with Chub and WBT, two x 10inch of the latter took my 3” WILLIE GUNN Cascade Style as tied by Tony Frew, and a single handed rod would be adequate on this stretch.
Below the islands to the bottom of the beat, some hundreds of yards, is a classic quick water run varying from 18” to 30” in depth right across the river with odd rocks with deeper lies, each one holding a fish or two. Anything could be in each and, although I didn’t manage to net a Salmon, I had one heavy hit and another followed when retrieving to check for wind knots.
With a significant and continuous hatch of Mayfly and others on the water for most of the afternoon the WBT rising in this area were a distraction but very encouraging for the health and future of the river.

2 brown trout caught approx 8oz each and then 4 rainbows of about 1lb all of which came off before landing. Fish caught on bibio. No fish were taken.

River looking absolutely spot on. A healthy height and some small upwings (olives) started lifting off from 10am. Some fish responded including some surprisingly large trout. I landed a couple just below a pound and lost a couple of larger fish that were probably around 1.25 lb. Monsters for small streams. I ended up having landed around 15 good sized trout on klinkhammer in various colours, CDC Olive and a small size 20 tungsten skinny nymph. The top section of the beat seemed to have less fish knocking around, but it was absolutely stunning and certainly my favourite bit of the beat.

20 trout caught up to around 12 inches. Superb day on a superb beat. The birds were singing their hearts out from the treetops!

Lovely peace of water. A little fast flowing for most, but crystal clear compared with the Monnow the day before. Quite a cold and brisk downstream breeze when we started around midday, and very overcast but the sun soon broke through around 1pm shortly after which there was an abaundance of fly life on the water. Olives, LBD, a couple of Mayfly, Hawthorn and we even saw a few Alder fly.
Tactic was to sit back and watch for rises on selective slower runs and pools, which paid dividends with 3 fish hooked (and sadly lost at my feet!) and at least half a dozen or so missed takes. Wasn't to be in terms of fish to hand but a good day all round, despite the losses.
My partner had a nil return too.

Water very cold, chilly breeze. River conditions exellent for salmon, but sadly no sign of them. Later tried for trout at lower end of beat. Hooked and lost a pound class fish, then landed another slightly bigger on an elk hair sedge size 16. Fish returned. This beat would probably fish wonderfully for trout with 18 ins. less water.

Fantastic day on this beat we are getting to know quite well. A fair few fish showing, most of them silver slabs. One salmon on a hitched tube - came half out of the water to engulf it! Deep sided, fresh fish with lice marks on, estimated 14lbs (from length). What a fish! What a day!

15 lb salmon caught and released in Kitty pool, caught on fly. Yesterday saw a fish of approx 30lbs jump clear of the water in the same pool!

Another great afternoon on this beat with hatches of sedges, olives, mayflies, yellow may duns, hawthorns and gnats leading to some terrific dry fly fishing. Ended up with around 25 hard-fighting trout and a few grayling, the best two trout again were in the 1.75lb region. All fish were released.

Had three hours at Glanusk on the final leg of a 5-day trip to WUF country. Started fishing about 11am, nymphed the riffley water below the bridge unsuccessfully for an hour.
Then the sun shone through (first time in 5 days) and immediately fish started showing in the pool below the bridge. Prolific LDO hatch for about 20 minutes followed by some Yellow Mayfly.

It seemed that the trout were taking the emergers just beneath the surface film, the rises being boils rather than splashes. Tied on a trusty French Partridge, let it absorb some water and fished it just below the surface. 4wbt landed, all around the 12" mark. Felt the fishing was going to be good all afternoon but alas all good things have to come to an end and the M4 beckoned.

On the way home I refelected on 5 days of such varied and enjoyable fishing. I spent around £100 on the beats which took me to small mountain streams, pristine freestone water and the volumous Wye. I caught half a dozen fish a day, nothing under 7" and many over 10", every fish on a dry fly, nothing that had ever seen the inside of a hatchery. I walked, scrambled and waded in some breathtaking countryside, met some friendly and generous people and enjoyed every minute. That £100 would buy me half a day on the River Test or Itchen. Very simply, there's no comparison. Thank you WUF.